Tipperary's Kealey Tideswell wins Munster Intermediate Cross Country Crown

Kealey Tideswell, Clonmel AC on her way to the gold medal at the Munster Intermediate Cross Country Championships in Riverstick Cork last Sunday

placeholder image — Kealey Tideswell, Clonmel AC on her way to the gold medal at the Munster Intermediate Cross Country Championships in Riverstick Cork last Sunday

Riverstick was the venue last Sunday for the Munster Intermediate Cross Country Championships. Conditions were relatively good, considering all the wet weather in recent weeks.

In the women’s race Kealey Tideswell of Clonmel AC went to the front early in the first lap and began to assert her authority on the event, as she made every stride a winning one to come home a very worthy and convincing champion, and over 30 seconds ahead of the rest of the field.

This was a brilliant performance by Kealey. She was following in the footsteps of Hannah Steeds, the only other Clonmel AC athlete to win this coveted title in Castlelyons in 2021.

With Kealey performing so well at the front of affairs, the rest of the Clonmel contingent responded very well. Suzanne Shine ran a well-judged race. Setting out in the low teens, she gradually worked her way through the field and going out on the final lap was making great progress. She maintained that strong pace to finish a very creditable fifth place.

Then we had Sareen Walsh also running a brilliant race and, like Suzanne, she paced herself very well to come through the field to finish strongly in sixth place.

Elaine Horgan was the next Clonmel AC athlete to appear in the finishing straight and urged on by her teammates she responded to finish a very creditable 11th.

These four athletes, Kealey, Suzanne, Sareen and Elaine, combined to win both the Inter Club for Clonmel AC and the Inter County for Tipperary, brilliant performances all round.

We also saw great running from Sarah Whelan (Clonmel AC) 14th and Marina Quinlan (Clonmel AC) 16th. This was Clonmel AC’s second time winning this coveted title, having won it in Powerstown racecourse in 2011.

FINE FINISH FOR BARRY

In the Men’s race Barry Hartnett of Dundrum AC ran a brilliant race when finishing fourth.

There were also good performances from Willie O’Donoghue (Mooreabbey Milers AC) 15th, Jim Hally (Dundrum AC) 25th and Michael Moore (Dundrum AC) 27th.